Cushioned wheel-rim



A. S. DUFFIES.

CUSHIONED WHEEL APPLICATION FIL-ED fps. 1.

A in /$1; .1

wmw, If fly zfiziz W W? UNITED STATES PATENT- OFF-ICE.

ALFRED s. DUFFIEsoF MARKEsAN, iscons n.

CUSHIONED WHEEL-RIM.

To all w ham it mag concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED S. DUFFIES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Markesan, Green Lakecounty, l/Visconsin, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Cushioned WVheel-Rims; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains .to make and use the same. I

Myinvention relates to resilient wheels of the general class employing cushions disposed in annular formation between inner and outer fellies, its general objects being to provide means for excluding foreign matter from the cushions and to provide an air cushion cooperating with the annularly dispose'd cushions inv furnishing resiliency for Serial Nos. 143046 and 1413047 and I am therefore describing and picturing my invention in this illustrative embodiment.

In wheels of this type, thecushions desirably project beyond each side of one of the rims (this being preferablythe inner rim) into contact with side flanges carried by the other rim, these side flanges being spaced laterally from the first named rim to allow for a lateral compression of the cushions during a skidding of the wheel or other side strain upon the latter. Theoretically, it might have been expected that each lateral face of a cushionwould slide upon the adjacent side flange in response to the variations in the compression of the cushion at various points during each rotation of the wheel'when the latter is employed on a loaded vehicle. However, I have found in practice that the varying strains on the rubber cushions compress the portions disposed radially of the wheel between both of the rim portions contiguous to the cushions, and distort the projecting cushion portions without causing the lateral faces of the cushions to slide upon the adjacent side flanges 'of the wheel. Consequently, no allowance need to be made for the texture of the lateral cushion faces, and the interposing of fabric be- Specification of Letters Patent. i Patented 3 1321, 1920; Application filed February 5, 1917. Serial No. l4,598. i

tween each. such face and the adjacent side flange would not alter the action of the cushion. :However, the spacing of each side flange from the'other felly affords an opening for the admitting of dirt, stones, slush and other materials which may considerably reduce the life of the cushions if admitted where they might enter any spaces between the cushions and adjoining wheel parts. My invention aims to exclude all such foreign materials from the annular chamber housing the cushioning elements, byproviding flexible curtaining extending inwardly of the wheel at both sides of the latter, and by securing this curtaining to both fellies in such a manner as to afford a water-tight chamber. Myinvention alsov aims .to use curtaining for this purpose. which will be airtight, and to inflate the resulting cham ber so as to afford a pneumatic tube housing I the cushioning elements and cooperating with the resiliency of the latter to cushion the wheel, so that the latter will ridepartly upon'the rubber cushions and partly upon the compressed air.. 7

.Figurel is a fragmentary side elevation of a wheel embodying my invention-' Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged transverse sections of rim portions of such wheels, showing alternative methods of securing the fabl ric to the inner felly. 1 I Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of a wheel having the rim portions shown seetionally in Fig. 2.

- Fig- 5'isa fragmentary interior view of the. annular-channel formed by the anglesectioned rim ric of. Fig. e

- In theembodiments wheel in each case includes spokes 1 fast upon an inner felly 2 (desirably of wood),

which felly has a steel band 3 upon its periphery. Spaced radially from this band is a steel rim forming part of the outer felly and fast with respect to both the'tread 4 and the side flanges 5 and 6. This band may be a single element 7 integral with the side flange 6 as in Fig. 3, in which case the other flange 5 may be integral with the steel rim 8 which is shrunk upon the band 7 and which carries the tread 4. Or, the "said band may consist of laterally adj acent portions9 and 10, as in Fig. 2, and may be secured to the tread-carrying rim 11 by the portions and the flexible fab-'- of the drawings, the

wedging of a cylindrical member 12 (such as a standard S. A. E band between-this member and the two portions 9 and 10, each of which latter portions has one of the side flanges integral with it.

Interposed between the inner felly band 3 and thev said outer band (which latter is either the single element 7 or a composite of the separate portions 9 and 10;) are the cushioning means, desirably consisting of rubber cushions 11 disposed in two annular formations spaced by a web 12 on the inner band 3. These cushions project laterally beyond the inner felly and bear with their lateral faces tightly against-a flexible fabric 13, which fabric desirably consists of an annular and inwardly open channel interposed between the cushions and the said outer band.

- the felly 2 may carry an inwardly directed clencher rim 15 interlocking with clencher formations 16 on the edges of the fabric. In

either case, it will beobvious from Figs. 2

' and 3 that. the fabric cooperates with the inner felly 2 to form an annular chamber inclosing the cushions and the inner band 3 upon which the cushions slide peripherally to someextent when the wheel is in service,

' thus excluding all foreign matter from these portions. To make this housing still more I effective, I preferably provide a valve 17 on the inner felly, connected to a passage 18 leading'to the interior of'the said chamber,

so that air may be pumped into this cham her to cause the fabric to bulge out somewhat and to provide the equivalent of a pneumatic tube between the two fellie's of the wheel. Thus constituted, the fabric affords both a'mechanical protection to the cushions against the impact of stones or the like, a jacketing to exclude mud and grit from the cushioning, and a pneumatic cushposed that the edge portions of the fabric can be stretched somewhat. "Then either side of the fabric can be bent outwardly when desired, as in the case of'Fig. 2' where the dotted lines show the position of a portion of the fabric before the left-hand rim portion comprising the elements 5 and 9 is forced into its normal position. Where the cushions in each annular formation are separate elements spaced by transverse webs 19 and 20 on the inner and outer rim members, I preferably mold the fabric with out- 7 I wardly open pockets 21 designed to fitover the webs 20. However, I do not wish to be limited to this or other details of the construction and arrangement here described, it

being obvious that the same may be modified 7 in many ways without, departing from the spirit of my invention as claimed.

I claim as my invention: I V 1. In a wheel, an inner and an outer rim, a cushion therebetween, and a single-piece fabric member including side portions disposed at opposite sides of the cushion, and a central portion clamped between the cushion and one of the rims, the said inem ber cooperating with the other rim toform an inflatable housing for the cushion. V

2. In a wheel, an inner and anouter rim,

a cushion therebetween, and an airtight flexible element clamped betweenthe cushion and one of the rims, and extending laterally past the cushion at opposite sides of the latter, said element being secured at both ed es to the other rim. I I F igned at Chicago, January 31, 1917. ALFRED S. DUFFIES. 

